Florida State to face Oklahoma in Orlando's Cheez-It Bowl
The streak is officially over. The Florida State football team is back in a bowl.
After a three-year absence, the Seminoles are back in the postseason, accepting an invitation on Sunday afternoon to play in the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando. They’ll be playing the 6-6 Oklahoma Sooners under first-year head coach Brent Venables. Brett McMurphy of Action Network first reported the news.
The game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Florida State is 9-3 on the season and ranked 13th in the final College Football Playoff ranking. It’s the Seminoles’ highest finish since 2016, which was also the last season the Seminoles played in Orlando.
*ALSO SEE: Updates, videos from press conferences with Mike Norvell, Brent Venables
They opened up that year against Ole Miss, coming back from a 28-6 deficit in the first half to knock off Hugh Freeze’s Rebels. Now, after more than six years, the Seminoles are back in Camping World Stadium, hoping to finish off their turnaround season with a 10th win.
The Seminoles have played in this event four other times in their history.
In 1977, when it was known as the Tangerine Bowl, they beat Texas Tech 40-17 to punctuate Bobby Bowden’s second year at the helm.
In 1984, when it was known as the Citrus Bowl, they tied Vince Dooley’s Georgia team, 17-17.
In 2008, when it was known as the Champs Sports Bowl, they bludgeoned Wisconsin, 42-13.
And in 2011, when it was still known as the Champs Sports Bowl, they came back from a halftime deficit to knock off Notre Dame, 18-14. That was Jimbo Fisher’s second year as head coach and was a starting-off point for the historical three-year run that followed.
Third-year Florida State head coach Mike Norvell is hoping his program can keep climbing toward those elite levels as well. And while a win against the Sooners in Orlando might not be a catalyst for similar run – only time will tell – it would be a terrific way to cap the turnaround season for the Seminoles.
This will be the 49th bowl game in Florida State history. The Seminoles are currently 28-17-3.
Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.
